Report: ‘Jimmy Butler plans to be back with the Miami Heat’ even if no extension this offseason report,jimmy,butler,plans,to,be,back,with,the,miami,heat,even,if,no,extension,this,offseason,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-trade-rumors,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


It appears the options are flying off the board for the Sixers in a hurry.

Former Sixer Jimmy Butler will reportedly not seek a trade this offseason despite not yet coming to an agreement on a max extension with the Miami Heat. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst discussed Butler’s situation on The Pat McAfee show Wednesday.

As Windy notes, Butler has a player option for the 2025-26 season, so he will be in a similar spot to James Harden last summer and Paul George right now. If he leads Miami on another deep playoff run, he could very well still cash in another big payday at age 35.

It’s also been reported that All-Star Bam Adebayo is planning to sign a three-year maximum extension with the Heat, locking in Butler’s primary running mate.

Butler never totally seemed like a realistic option, but with more clarity there, along with the increasing likelihood George doesn’t leave the West Coast, the options are getting slimmer for the Sixers.

The Sixers’ top trade candidate after the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets Tuesday night is likely the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram. Several reports have mentioned New Orleans shopping the one-time All-Star and he has been linked to the Sixers. Beyond that, it feels like the Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen is a pipe dream — though there was no real sense Bridges would get moved either.

In free agency, it seems like OG Anunoby could still be in play despite reports suggesting that the Knicks would like to keep him, even after the Bridges trade. The Sixers have also been linked to the Nuggets’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Could Daryl Morey look to add Anunoby and KCP to give head coach Nick Nurse elite tools for his defensive schemes?

The are still lots of possibilities for the Sixers ahead of the NBA draft and the start of free agency, but it appears a Jimmy Butler reunion is not one of them.

Lionel Messi says Inter Miami will be ‘my last club’


Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi reacts during the friendly soccer match between Vissel Kobe and Inter Miami CF at the National Stadium, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Lionel Messi says Inter Miami will be “my last club.”

The 36-year-old World Cup champion isn’t thinking about joining an Argentine club to write the last chapter of playing career.

“I think Inter Miami is going to be my last club. Today I think it is going to be my last club,” the Argentina captain said in an interview with ESPN.

Messi is preparing with his national team to compete in the Copa América in the United States. Argentina is the defending champion.

READ: Messi wins record eighth Ballon d’Or for best player in the world

The former Barcelona star has nothing left to prove in the game and filled the only significant unchecked box on his resume by leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar in 2022.

He has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards and left European football last year to join the MLS club.

Messi’s contract with Inter Miami is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.

“It was a difficult step to leave Europe to come here,” he said. “Having become a world champion helped a lot, and also to see things differently. But I don’t think about it. I try to enjoy. That’s why I enjoy everything much more, because I am aware that there is less and less to go and I have a good time.”

READ: David Beckham: Lionel Messi will need time to adapt to MLS

Many Argentine fans hoped Messi would close his career with Newell’s Old Boys, the club where he began his training as a child in his native city of Rosario.

The star said he’s trying to enjoy the final stretch of his career to the fullest.

“I have a good time at the club, I am lucky enough to have teammates and friends (Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, all former Barcelona players) by my side,” he said. “I had a good time in the national team, where I have teammates and friends too.

“I enjoy the little details that I know that when I don’t play anymore, I’m going to miss,” he added. “My whole life I did this. I love playing ball and I enjoy training, day-to-day life and match days. And yes, there is always the fear that everything will end.”